Unnecessary Nerves
by Floating On A Thought
Summary: Another oneshot in the 'Inspired By' series. Inspired By: Naruto: Mito Uzumaki by mongrelssister on Deviantart. Hashirama really shouldn't be so nervous, even princesses aren't immune to well placed charm.


Hashirama paced up and down the small bridge, while his brother looked on with amused eyes. Tobirama held the arm of a beautiful black haired woman with blue eyes who giggled in response to the elder brother's huff. She tapped her silver haired escort on the arm, and pointed to Hashirama insistently. Tobirama sighed and stepped forward, letting go of the blue eyed woman's arm.

"Brother… calm down. It's not like you to be this nervous." His eyebrow cocked – he was actually genuinely confused. Hashirama was never like this.

The browned haired man looked at his brother incredulously. "It's not like me to ask the _princess _of the _Uzumaki _clan to come to the festival with me! Do you have any idea what her father would do to me if she was in the slightest way displeased? I would be dust on the ground before I could blink."

Tobirama snickered. "True. But I would come to your funeral, brother. You can rely on me."

Hashirama threw him a disgusted look. "That makes me feel _so _much better, Tobi."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you brother. Anyway, did you remember your light?"

Tobirama waved a softly glowing orange paper lamp in Hashirama's face. It was designed like a honey pot, and had a small string with a charm on the end. Painted on the front was the Senju symbol, and a small oak leaf hung off the bottom on some more string, courtesy of Hashirama. These lanterns were symbolic, representing the family from which you came, and the orange light was to represent the coming of the dawn – spring, in other words. It was a festival which all the clans in Fire Country held zealously – albeit separately. God knows what would happen if they all went to the same one. Chaos, especially considering the wars at the moment.

This year, the Senju had arranged to hold theirs with the Uzumakis – their distant cousins, in order to reacquaint themselves with each other. As they both still held a sort of friendship, it was felt by both that keeping that flame burning would be in the best interests of each of the clans' welfare.

Seventeen year old Hashirama and fifteen year old Tobirama both agreed fervently, wishing to meet the powerful clan of which they had heard so much about, but had never seen. The Senju brothers' father had sent his two heirs in his place, preferring to be part of the contingent left behind to guard the clan compound from other clans. When they had arrived, they had been greeted with a traditional Uzumaki greeting – a meal of seafood that was fresh from the ocean only quarter of a mile away. Then, the heir and heiress of their respective clans had been introduced. Needless to say, Hashirama had been quite enamoured with the Uzumaki princess, and many of the woman's friends had dared to say the attraction was returned. Therefore, he had plucked up an enormous amount of courage to brave the wrath of Arashi Uzumaki himself and ask for his permission to take his beloved and only daughter to the festival. After a thorough and nerve-wracking interrogation into _exactly _what his motives were, he was allowed to at least _ask _her. But his worries had been for nought. She had blushed and ran away, leaving a 'yes!' in her wake. So now, Hashirama, Tobirama and his partner Komi were waiting for Hashirama's partner to arrive from her house.

The elder brother waved the younger off.

"Of course." He pointed to the floor, and sure enough, there was one identical to Tobirama's sitting leaning against the wall. He glanced over to the one in the woman's hand. Another Senju symbol. Komi was of their clan too, a chuunin level – at least according to the Uzumaki clan. She was very nice, but had a mean streak that had Hashirama laughing sadistically when she chased his brother up and down the compound for peaking on her in the bath house. Tobirama seemed to love her, and she him. That was enough for Hashirama who took great pride in watching out for his sometimes wayward younger sibling.

"Best pick it up, brother. She could be here any minute."

Hashirama inclined his head in acceptance, and swept up his lantern, swinging in unconsciously. Tobirama didn't dare to point it out – he liked having his head, thank you very much.

-xXx-

Five minutes had passed, and Hashirama was still walked backwards and forwards, but now muttering silently to himself. What is she was held up? Was she in trouble? Did she need him?

Or worse.

Did her father change his mind? Did the man believe Hashirama wasn't worthy?

Or the worst.

Did _she _change her mind?

Only when his brother cleared his throat in a clear 'snap-out-of-it-you-idiot' fashion, did he look up out of the churning thoughts that thundered through his brain and into his stomach like lead weights. His mouth suddenly dropped open slightly, and he blinked a few times to clear his eyes of blockage, because surely he had imagined the angel that now stood shyly in front of him.

She was wearing a beautiful kimono, with small embroidered flowers scattered across the material. But the cloth _shone_. Different colours appeared with the different reflections of light that hit it, and it made it seem like she was wearing a rainbow. Her under kimono was a plain turquoise blue that came to mid-calf, and another one under that which was a vibrant shade of pink/purple that came to her ankles. She wore the traditional black geta with white socks, while her grey obi blew in the strong chilling breeze that surrounded them. Two grey fan like ornaments came out from her back like a mystical creatures wings, or like the angel that Hashirama thought she was. Another sat atop her head, like a crown that declared her to all that she was indeed a princess. Her crimson red hair that was coloured like blood was held up in two separate buns with senbon and two sealing tags hung from each one, also moving with the air currents. In her hands was an orange lantern, this time with a slight change. The Uzumaki clan symbol was painted on the front – the whirlpool – and another sealing tag hung from the bottom, showing the Uzumakis specialty.

Hashirama finally managed to close his mouth and wet it once more. After an elbow to the rib from his brother, he finally managed to reconnect his vocal chords with his brain.

"Y-you look stunning, princess."

Mito's face coloured as she blushed.

Quite the charmer.

Quite the looker.

It seems she'd have to stop father's usual 'stay-away-from-my-daughter!' plotting.

She liked this one.

**Another one inspired by 'Naruto: Mito Uzumaki', a drawing by mongrelssister on deviantart. Hope you like and review! The link is on my profile!**


End file.
